US boosts military buildup in Mideast

The United States is sending roughly 9,000 troops aboard a naval flotilla to the Middle East in a major military buildup that could station three aircraft carriers in the region by late October or November, as US President Donald Trump warns of potential fresh strikes on Iran.

Two carriers, the USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington, are already in the Middle East. The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt left its home port of San Diego on Sunday for a scheduled deployment, according to major US media.

The deployment represents one of the largest concentrations of US naval power in the region since the US launched military operations in Iraq in 2003. It comes as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remain deadlocked, with new signs the crisis is growing more complex.

Further complicating matters, Trump told reporters on Thursday that early indications suggest that Iran is linked to the Flydubai copilot who stabbed his captain and tried to crash an Israel-bound flight on Wednesday.

At the White House, Trump was asked by reporters whether the suspect had ties to Tehran. "I would say the answer, based on what I'm hearing, is 'yes', but we're working on it right now," he said, adding that if the link to Iran is established, the US would retaliate. "They'll be hit very hard."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, without giving details, said the attacker had undergone "Islamist indoctrination".

However, Iran alleged Netanyahu orchestrated a "false flag" hijacking plot involving the jet to draw the US into a new war with Iran, Iran's state-run Press TV reported on Thursday.

According to an unnamed "well-informed regional source", the plan was discussed and finalized during a secret visit by Netanyahu to the United Arab Emirates three days prior to the flight incident, the report said.

Israel, the UAE and the US had no immediate comment on the allegations.

Probe launched

A regional official briefed on the investigation confirmed the suspect, an Omani national, is in custody. Saudi authorities are coordinating with multiple nations, including Israel, to establish a motive, with the UAE, US and Oman also participating in the probe. Saudi Arabia said it had handed him over to the UAE.

The US warship group sailing toward the Middle East carries more than 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines. Given the personnel already in place in the region, the move would bring the US naval presence to an unusually high number of more than 20,000 sailors and Marines, as well as hundreds of aircraft.

In a Time magazine interview published on Thursday, Trump also floated the prospect of expanded military action, saying it is "possible" he will escalate bombing campaigns against Iran after the Nov 3 midterm elections.

He said in the interview, conducted on Monday, that he rejected the latest ceasefire proposal from Iran because "things that I wouldn't have approved a year ago I wouldn't have today". Trump cited as an example an offer from Iran to "open up" the Strait of Hormuz, the key energy shipping corridor, but said the overall proposal was "not good enough".

Iranian officials indicated on Wednesday that they had received an official US response to Tehran's latest proposal to end the war, which Trump publicly rejected.

In a parallel move, the US Treasury Department rolled out new sanctions Thursday targeting Iran's rail and automotive sectors and their foreign suppliers, broadening wartime economic pressure designed to isolate Tehran.

Separately, Yemen's Houthi militia targeted an electricity distribution station in Medina in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi-led coalition said on Thursday, drawing condemnation across the Muslim world. Medina, burial site of the Prophet Muhammad and home to the Prophet's Mosque, ranks among Islam's holiest sites alongside Mecca.

Loud explosions were also heard late on Thursday in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, which is controlled by Houthis. The Saba News Agency, which is affiliated with and run by the Houthi forces, spoke of "Saudi aggression" on X.

Agencies contributed to this story.

cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn